MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



A PLEA FOR BETTER CULVERTS. 



Taking the country over, it has been esti- 

 mated that on the average every county builds 

 50 culverts a year that is, new culverts and 

 old culverts replaced. In years past prac- 

 tically all culverts were made of wood more 

 or less well built, according to the character 

 of the man who did the work, and the amount 

 of money and character of material used. The 

 "Good Roads Movement" has brought in its 

 train specialization in various lines, including, 

 besides surfacing and gradients, nothing more 

 important than the matter of culverts. Wood 

 culverts rot out, are washed cut or broken 

 down so soon that in the end a large expen- 

 diture involved, in what, judged by ' first 

 cost," seems to be the cheapest of all ma- 

 terials. It is almost universal cpinicn that the 

 wood culvert is a thing of the past only to 

 be used as a temporary expedient.- 



What makes the best culvert? is a question 

 most frequently asked. Wherever this matter 

 is broadly considered, concrete, the modern 

 building material, is generally found to have 

 the strongest claims. Twenty years ago 

 even ten years a^o this would not have been 

 true. But the cost of cement 'is new so low, 

 its use so universal, and the knowledge of 

 concrete, as well as special skill in working 

 in this great modern material, is so general 

 that it may be said that "everybody knows 

 about concrete." Concrete has two advan- 

 tages. It is cheap in the first cost; and it 

 lasts so long, when properly made, that the 

 common expression is ''concrete lasts for- 

 ever." The railroad companies are building 

 culverts of concrete almost entirely, the only 

 exception being cast iron pipe, which, as 

 compared with concrete for country road cul- 

 verts, is out of the question on account of 

 high cost. 



It is not now so much a question whether 

 concrete culverts are the best kind to build; 

 but, what is the best way to build them? A 

 very satisfactory solution of this problem is 

 the collapsible steel form for culvert, conduit 

 and sewer work. This steel form is built in 

 five diameters (also other sizes and metric 

 system measurements, to order). The length 

 is usually 10 feet for culvert forms, and gen- 

 erally two forms are used, end to end, which 

 makes the culvert 20 feet, a fair average 

 length. Of course, only one form is really 

 necessary no matter how long the culvert is 

 to be made, as the form is collapsed and re- 

 moved, and ready to be used again as soon 

 as the concrete is set. 



It is quite surprising how great is the ca- 

 pacity of a culvert. In other words, it does 

 not take a very large culvert to carry off the 

 water from a considerable watershed. The 

 main point is to see that the ends are well 

 protected with wings so that there is no 

 chance for washing at either end. This is 

 one of the principal advantages of the one- 

 piece culvert, made with the collapsible steel 

 mold. Culverts made with clay pipe are likely 

 to be washed out and broken at the end, be- 

 sides they are more expensive to build. 



There are two methods of handling the con- 

 crete culvert business. One of these is when 

 the county or township authorities buy the 

 collapsible steel forms and have the work 

 done by day labor under the charge of some 

 competent foreman. The other is the ordi- 

 nary letting of the jobs by contract to some 

 local man who makes concrete work a busi- 

 ness. In either event it costs about the same 

 amount to the public for good work. 



Clean sand, gravel and water are generally 

 easy to find and cement is now very cheap. 

 The work of making a concrete culvert is 

 simple when using collapsible steel forms. 

 Usually all it requires is to dig a trench, lay 

 a foundation of concrete in the bottom, then 

 put the culvert form in place, being careful 

 to give it sufficient pitch to carry off the 

 water, etc. The only use ordinarily for lum- 

 ber is to make the wings, which lumber is 

 used over and over again, like the form. When 

 the form is in position the cement is placed 



A Ccncrete Culvert Built With Collapsible Steel Forms. 



around and over it, with reinforcing metal 

 over the top on the larger sizes. After the 

 concrete is set, the form is collapsed and 

 withdrawn, and it is ready for use again. 



The Miracle Pressed Stone Co., Minneapolis, 

 which manufactures a splendid type of collap- 

 sible steel form, has recently issued a very 

 interesting booklet on concrete culverts; which 

 will be sent on request. 



NARROW TIRES MUST GO. 



Backed by highway commissioners through- 

 out Michigan, a bill will be presented to the 

 netx legislature to prohibit the use of heavily 

 loaded narrow tired wagons on county roads 

 of macadam and gravel. 



At the big road institute held in Detroit 

 and attended by Highway Commissicner Ely 

 and Deputy Rogers, more than 100 highway 

 commissioners declared themselves against 

 the thin tire evil and recommended the pas- 

 sage of- a law protecting the roads. Accord- 

 ing to Mr. Ely, the action of the Detroit meet- 

 ing will soon become statewide. 



The commissioners at Detroit urged that a 

 law be passed limiting the size of loads on 

 narrow tired rigs, if it was impossible to se- 

 cure more strict legislation. 



NATIONAL AID FOR GOOD ROADS. 



Congressman Howell has introduced a 

 "good roads" bill in the house, providing for 

 the creating of a national road commission 

 and prescribing its powers and duties, creating 

 a system of national roads, establishing a na- 

 tional road fund, and providing the manner 

 cf expending the same in co-operation with 

 the several states for the furtherance of good 

 roads. 



The measure has merit, as it makes possible 

 the building of roads as roads should be built. 

 The government is to expend $10,000,000 a 

 year and each state is to share in this fund 

 in proportion to the mileage under construc- 

 tion, the roads built in co-operation to be 

 limited to north and south, east and west 

 roads, and to only one road in either direc- 

 tion, these roads to be main arteries of travel. 

 Each state availing itself of this national aid 

 must expend a sum equal to that to be ob- 

 tained from the government. On the appor- 

 tionment of the fund the bill provides: 



Section 9. That the national road fund 

 shall be apportioned annually by the National 

 Road Commission to each state and territory 

 which shall be entitled to its benefits under 

 the provisions of this act. The amount so 

 apportioned to each state and territory shall 

 be ascertained and determined according to 

 the ratio of the approved mileage of national 

 tional roads within the United States. 



Section 10. That the National Road Com- 

 mission, on or before Oct. 1 in each year, 

 shall make the apportionment provided in sec- 



tion 9 of this act and shall certify the same 

 forthwith to each state and territory in which 

 national roads have been designated and ap- 

 proved. Each state and territory shall, on or 

 before Dec. 30, make a statement in writing, 

 to the National Road Commission of the 

 amount of money such state or territory will 

 expend on national roads during the next fis- 

 cal year, and the part or parts of national 

 roads to be constructed, and the class or kind 

 of material to be used, and manner of con- 

 struction, and such further information as the 

 commission may require, which statement 

 shall be approved by the commission on or 

 before March of the following year. If any- 

 state or territory shall not elect to -expend on 

 national reads the amount equal to that which 

 roads within the United States, 

 road fund for that fiscal year, said state or 

 territory shall, nevertheless, be entitled to 

 receive from said fund, to be expended in 

 national road construction, an amount equal 

 to what it shall expend on such roads as 

 certified by to the commission. Any balances 

 of the national road fund as appropriated 

 herein and unexpended by the end of the 

 fiscal year shall be carried over and added to 

 the appropriation of the following year, and 

 shall be distributed to the several states and 

 territories as provided herein. Provided fur- 

 ther, that the state or territory in which any 

 national road has been constructed shall main- 

 tain and keep the same in good repair at its 

 own cost and expense. 



Section 11. That all contracts and super- 

 vision of work of construction of national 

 roads growing out of such cc-operation shall 

 be under the direction of the state or terri- 

 tory, which construction shall in all cases 

 be in conformity with the rules of the Com- 

 mission as to longitudinal and cross-section 

 profile and the notices of agreement by the 

 state or territory as provided in section 10 

 of this act. Provided, that all payments shall 

 be made to each state and territory under 

 such rules and regulations as the National 

 Road Commission may prescribe as construc- 

 tion work progresses. 



It has long been the contention of a con- 

 siderable portion of the people that it is just 

 as much the province of the government to 

 assist in the creation of permanent highways 

 in order to facilitate the transit of internal 

 commerce as it is to appropriate huge sums 

 of money fcr river and harbor and waterway 

 improvements. 



The bill ought to become a law. There is 

 such a pressure on the appropriations this 

 year, however, it may be side-tracked. If the 

 advocates of good roads will keep everlast- 

 ingly at it, they will certainly get a good 

 roads bill through Congress, and it won't take 

 very long either. 



